Monday, 20 February 2017

So this post is an inspiration from the one at Mayuri’s blog and it kind of intrigued me to write one for myself. How strange it is right, to always hold back to virtues we want to keep in our lives and yet we stick to the not-so-good-ones as well.

No matter how much we curse a few sides of our personality, deep down our hearts, we’re happy to have them. And sometimes we’re proud of them as well! Don't you agree?

As much as strength is crucial, isn’t weakness equally significant to shape the perfect ‘you’?

There are certain virtues that make our lives and a few vices that save our lives as well. As I write this, I ponder over a few vices that I’m actually glad I have. C’mon, let’s find out.

For starters, I’m too altruistic! Always having this urge to help others, no matter what circumstances may be and this has often caused problems for me. And this altruism is not for strangers, it’s for the people I’m most attached to. If at all anything is wrong with them, my priority is always to help them out and be with them. Regardless of the fact of what I’m going through or what I’m facing/feeling/suffering and all the ‘ings..’ :p At the end of the day, no matter how difficult the circumstances have been with me, being there for my people always leaves me in peace and have a sound sleep at night.

That incessant need to see good in others! Sometimes, it just gets too much! I always try to see the positive side... even in the most negative people. Sure it’s a good thing, but sometimes, it acts like a sheet of a blanket covering their devilish side, used to blindfold my own eyes!

Oh! And my odd cravings for odd things at odd hours! Talk to my husband about it, and you’ll know the details. Real fine details of my tantrums that I throw when I crave for certain things. When I feel like eating something or let’s say I’m famished, I crave for particular delicacies/stuff (sometimes) but those cravings are really high! And they have to be from a particular place only. Period. Or else, my mood is ruined for the next couple of hours! I know deep down you must pity my husband! I too have done that, but nothing changed! I’ve moved on.

I love being random. Being spontaneous is always something that excites me. Doing things unexpected, planning random surprises without any occasion, making sudden plans of trips or vacations or maybe a drive in the night, gives me thrills! I find it really exciting!

I have this thing of doing things aren’t supposed to be done! Yes, I have this incessant need to do and see how it feels. There were times when we were not allowed to do certain things and yet, I did most of them ;) :P :D. And I am happy and proud of it as well! Such events have their own share of fun I feel!

Tuesday, 7 February 2017

Do you love your work? I sure do. Life as a teacher has been acutely satisfying. So much so that a part of my life revolves around my work and my students.

C'mon!. Let's explore the perks of being a teacher,

One The World knows my ability to talk! Just talk! And what better place could it be than a room filled with people, younger than your age, who have no other option than listening to you?! ;) :D Okay, jokes apart, I always find it therapeutic to interact with my students. No matter how my mood is, it always gets better after each class.

Two Who doesn’t like to stay amongst the younger crowd? Not that there is much of a difference between our ages, but it’s always a good thing to stay and meet people who’re younger than your age. It sure adds a new perspective to your thinking and involves so much of learning.

Three Isn’t it rewarding to see when someone looks up to you? To me, it’s even more motivating to keep myself live up to the expectations of my students. And that adds another sense of responsibility at the same time.

Four Daily interactions in the class, cracking jokes in order to make the subject more interesting, giving examples and going back to the time when I was a student! It makes me reminisce my old college days and all of this helps in keeping the child in me alive.

Five Sure it occupies my time and helps me stay busy. And this is so important to keep my sanity alive. I know how miserable I get and how handy I become when I have too much of time to myself doing nothing. Sure, it ensures peace in my life :P

Six Taking one batch after the other and seeing your students come out with flying colors automatically does the due. The sense of respect in the loud and clear, ‘Thank you, Ma’am!!’ after each class is immensely satisfying. Along with the perks of recognition, accomplishing the sense of identity other being someone’s ‘Mrs’ is contagious!

Seven There was a point in my life where feeling worthless was the only sentiment I could sense. Things changed with my work and helped me come out of that zone. The love that my students shower upon me, I don’t even know if I deserve that, but it feels exceptionally gratifying.

Eight And who can ignore the lifetime relationships and bonding that comes with it?

Nine My profession has taught me to embrace life, to consider the pebbles thrown at you as the stepping stones towards success and above all to feel grateful for changing lives for good, for shaping the thought process and for thriving towards excellence!

Ten There was a time when I used to lose my cool real soon. But with time, my work has taught me to be patient and empathetic towards my students. Now I know, keeping calm and being a patient soul can do wonder to your class and of course, your life!

Thank goodness, I've not become like this :P

Does it ring a bell to you? Nope, you don’t necessarily have to be a teacher for it. Tell me if this post reminds you of any teacher? How were your experiences back then with them? Share with me and I am all ears J

Saturday, 4 February 2017

This year too I was having second thoughts about our New Year plan. Like last year, I didn’t want it to get cancel. Making a bigger plan and then settling with not-so-big one sure leaves you empty hearted. And I was in no mood to get all nostalgic about the similar situation this year.

As it is our plans get take shape last moment, this year was no different. I was pretty excited for New Years. Honestly, I wanted to take a trip abroad or maybe go Goa, but then we wouldn’t have our friends’ company. Now let me tell you, my husband and I, most of the times want our friends around us. Isn’t it always great to have your favorite people around, especially on occasions like these? Anyway, it’s always the more, the merrier.

So we decided to celebrate it together with our best friends.

See, if you want to party, the nearest place from Kanpur is Lucknow, but we didn’t want to go there.

We settled for Delhi and started looking for our stay. As we were already late and given it was New Years time, we were a bit unsure of finding a suitable place.

We travel to places frequently and book our stay according to our budget. But c’mon folks, it was New Years, how could we stay anywhere less than a 5 star? :P ;) Also, as they say, what you do on the first day of the year, you continue to do it the whole year! Now, who would want to risk staying at a regular hotel on New Years? I know, I wouldn’t and given this saying about new years, why not increase your chances this year?

And so, after scouting a couple of hotels and the New Year’s party that they were going to host, we picked The Lalit New Delhi as our choice of accommodation.

|Don’t you feel a tinge of happiness and a few goose bumps thinking about your stay at a luxury hotel?

Located in the heart of the city, The Lalit is one of the finest luxury hotels in India. Malls, buzzing cafes, heritage monuments and shopping centers are few things to mention that can be easily reached from here.

As we had made our bookings prior through Makemytrip, checking-in wasn’t a hassle. The deals that you get on Makemytrip, I can bet you wouldn’t find those kinds of deals with any other portal.

So yes, there was a rush and the place was crowded, but the staff was patient enough to help us out. We had to book an extra room last minute and the staff helped us through that process with full courtesy. And guess what? We got an up gradation to the Premiere Luxury room!

Hell yeah! I was thrilled!

Our room was on the 19th floor and the view it offered was spectacular! The window was large, giving the perfect picturesque for us to relish. The room was spacious and had a bathtub attached in our bathroom.

We had planned our New Year party at Kitty Su, which is a nightclub in the hotel itself. Before the party would start, we decided to take a tour of the same. And man, it was spectacular. The club’s decor was artisan chic, defining the perfect opulence that you would want offering an experience for a lifetime on its exquisite dance floor. No wonder, it’s the only Indian club that is rated amongst the top 100 clubs in the world by DJ Mag.

Sure it was beyond our expectations. The party was wild (in a good way), the DJ was playing excellent music, allowing us to groove and move. The crowd was good,the food was delicious and the drinks were just fine.

You want to sneak in? Not possible now, but you can have a look at a few pictures below!

Us and our Friends, at the hotel!

Next day began with the sumptuous breakfast, serving the most eclectic assortments of cuisines. You name it and you got it. What took away my fancy was the delectable chocolate sauce which was served with the waffles. Something was different about it, so much so that I wouldn't stop craving it. On January 1, 2017, after coming out of our hangover we reached for the breakfast and were obviously, late. Breakfast was almost going to get pack up and there I was, still craving for the chocolate sauce, which was finished by then. We requested the staff and see this is what he got for us and made our day!

Finger licking good, isn't it?

What caught my sight while taking a tour of the hotel was the sprawling swimming pool. Isn’t it a beauty? (see in the picture above). My favorites were the lounge chairs and guess what? There was a cafe as well. The perfect way to satiate your hunger.

The best part of 5-star hotels is their spa. The award-winning, Rejuve- The Spa, Lalit, takes you to the land of tranquillity. Getting a spa therapy, to relax and rejuvenate your soul is the best thing to do to yourself when you’re on a holiday. Due to the New Year occasion, I got a good deal at The Rejuve, and allowed myself to pamper a bit. And loved it to bits. That was the best part of the whole trip, to be honest. The masseuses were polite and extremely gentle with their hands, and the ambiance was just perfect.

I sure am coming for the massage next time as well!

My 2-day stay at The Lalit New Delhi was comfortable and I totally allowed myself to devour in its luxury.

It was the courtesy of the hotel and our experience during the stay that made us realize we made the right choice!

There is something about the 5-star properties. The effort they take in making your stay the best, letting you indulge in kinds of whims and fancies, giving you a memorable experience, be it about food, or the impeccable service, or the courteous staff or the cleanliness and hygiene and above all, the marvelous infrastructure, every penny spent is worthwhile.

And for a splendid stay like this, I’d like to come again. And again!

Tell me what do you choose in your holidays? Is the stay that matters to you the most or is it the other things? For me, having a good, comfortable, luxurious stay is most of the times the priority ;) Share your experiences below and I’ll be more than happy to hear.

Wednesday, 1 February 2017

It’s always good to get up early morning, don’t you think? Yes, you get a hell lot of time to do your work and stuff but what’s more enticing is the fresh air and the feel-good factor that comes with it! Don’t you feel proud of yourself, especially when you’re not a morning person? I sure feel fantastic. Opening those twitched eyes is literally a war. Like literally. And then your brain is always ready with those super creative excuses for not going for the walk that perfectly lures you... I slept late last night... I need to complete my sleep, or else I’ll feel drowsy all day... Just 5 more minutes... Have worked out 4 days in a row, one break is fine... I’ll compensate on a Sunday this time... It’s okay... ok din miss karne se kuch ni hota (missing one day won’t matter)... and so on. And you know there is no end to it, right?

Yes! It's this foggy in the morning.

One moment of weakness in the morning will make you feel guilty all day. But if you’re a brave heart and are able to fight this demon inside you, get up from your warm cozy bed and wash your face in this chilling winter, let me tell you, you’ve already won half the battle. Yes, it is a battle to get to up every day for a person who is not so fond of this ritual.

And just when you think that you are so sincere with your fitness goals and punctual about reaching, you witness dozens of people there already, before you, who’re now almost done with their workout... that is when realization strikes, where you feel you’re way behind. There are people who come no matter how cold it is, how foggy it is, if it is raining or not, or if it’s too hot and so on. The revelation that it requires much more dedication and will power than you will ever have.

But then, reaching there always leaves you inspired for the next day.

Also, as long as you are working out, it’s perfectly alright if you’re a little late.

For the fresh air amongst the serene greenery around you, those foggy mornings that refreshes your soul, the small steps that you make, feeling the pain in your muscles with every stride you take and yet you know how excellently it is healing your soul in the process. Those moments of breathlessness, and the will to make your body move till the point where it’s completely exhausted and ready to give up, and the happiness to see that you’re all in one piece, without being broken into bits and pieces. Sheer bliss.

That's my friend, all geared up in her morning armor, because of whom, my morning walks are possible!

Did you see, how determined she is!

And for mornings like these, I am willing to struggle and fight the battle... with myself.

How are your mornings? Are you like the kind who get up at the hunch of one alarm and wake up all fresh? Or like the ones who create all the drama in the morning, like me?